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Question
Tuesday, April 5, 2016 1:33 PM | 4 votes
I have recently been upgraded to Office 2016. Previously I was using Office 2007. In that version if I launched a separate session of Excel I could work in one session while scripts ran or large spreadsheets were saving in the other session. With 2016 it seems that each spreadsheet is opened in separate window, and although my searching indicates that these are in different sessions, they still seem to "interact" with one another (e.g. if I run a script in one spreadsheet it prevents me from working in the other - like it would in 2007 if both spreadsheets were opened in the same session). Also there is only one instance of the Excel.exe process running in Task Manager.
In 2007, to launch a second session, I would simply right click my shortcut and select the Excel 2007 item in the pop up menu. In 2016 this does not function the same. It simply opens another Excel window that is still attached to the same Process (there is still only one Process ID for the Execl.exe process).
Is there a way to force Excel 2016 to truly launch a separate session of the application?
Thanks,
Mike
All replies (11)
Thursday, April 7, 2016 9:47 AM ✅Answered | 10 votes
Hi Mike,
First I suggest you read this article:
This behavior was started from Excel 2013.
Based on your description, you want to open Excel 2016 Workbook by running separate instances.
There are several methods you try:
1. Start a second instance with ALT + boot Excel
In Windows 8, one way to start an additional instance of Excel is to press and hold the ALT key, then, without releasing the ALT key, right-click the Excel icon in the Windows taskbar and click the Excel icon above the Unpin option.
Continue holding down the ALT key until you are asked whether you want to start a new instance of Excel.
Click Yes to get a second instance of Excel up and running.
In general, anytime Excel is starting up, holding down the ALT key triggers the above dialog asking about a new instance.
2. Start a second instance with command line
There’s also a switch for booting Excel from the command prompt: /x. In Windows 8, press the Windows key and X key at the same time and then select Run.
Type excel.exe /x, and then click OK. This should launch a new instance of Excel.
Hope it's helpful.
Regards,
Emi Zhang
TechNet Community Support
Please mark the reply as an answer if you find it is helpful.
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Saturday, August 20, 2016 12:01 AM
yes there is. click the start button. hold ctrl and click excel. a separate instance of excel is created which is not connected to other workbooks
Monday, January 23, 2017 7:54 PM
Hi, I have seen several ideas on how to start a second or third instance, but what if I need the opposite? I DO NOT want a second instance, but rather consolidate and always have only one/ Help please!!! In accounting this is very inconvenient when trying to copy sheets within workbooks that are running on separate instances. Many thanks!
Friday, July 21, 2017 3:47 PM
Sorry, but I submit the default behavior here is very badly designed.
If the default is that they share the same instance, LOGICALLY the way to display that would be pre2013 behavior of different documents in a single parent frame. Ie parent frame = instance. The current default implies that by spawning new parent frames (well, only-frames, since there are no real child frames) that those are instances ...but of course they aren't (ie I can't save one document and go work in another while saving).
Seriously guys, I know you need to build in differences to sell software, but change for change's sake (especially where it HURTS utility/function) is silly.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017 10:14 AM | 1 vote
Ctrl launches Safe Mode, not a separate session.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017 12:22 PM | 1 vote
I hate this behaviour of Excel - its horrible user experience. These connected "non-instance" constantly lock up for no apparent reason. Honestly Excel today in not a patch on 2007.
ltheONEl
Tuesday, December 26, 2017 9:39 AM
Great!!! I tried the first step and it works in Windows7. You've helped me a lot, Thanks !!!!!!
Thursday, April 12, 2018 11:16 PM | 1 vote
This answer is not helpful. The problem I have is my ERP try to open Excel populated with data in the same instance as the Excel pivot-table process currently running, so I CANT use the above methods to open a separate instance. HUGE time wasting waiting, waiting, waiting... CRAZY!!
Please can Excel have the following choice in "Options > General":
When opening a new Excel window:
• "always start a new instance"
• "always use the same instance"
Then I can select my preferred method of operation.
I am running 64bit WIN10 with 64bit Office 2016 on 4 cores with 16GB RAM, but this default Excel setup is useless when it only uses one process and locks my machine every half hour. Grrrrr!!!!
Thursday, May 3, 2018 8:45 AM
This answer is not helpful. The problem I have is my ERP try to open Excel populated with data in the same instance as the Excel pivot-table process currently running, so I CANT use the above methods to open a separate instance. HUGE time wasting waiting, waiting, waiting... CRAZY!!
Please can Excel have the following choice in "Options > General":
When opening a new Excel window:
• "always start a new instance"
• "always use the same instance"
Then I can select my preferred method of operation.
I am running 64bit WIN10 with 64bit Office 2016 on 4 cores with 16GB RAM, but this default Excel setup is useless when it only uses one process and locks my machine every half hour. Grrrrr!!!!
100% agree with this. The amount of lost hours I have had with Excel freezing and crashing is ridiculous. I run multiple spreadsheets with macros from SharePoint so a default opening in a new instance is essential to me.
It's crazy that I have the top spec laptop available in the company but it cant cope with opening a few Excel files.
If this was anything else like something I'd bought from a shop, it would have been returned by now as not fit for purpose.
Thursday, November 8, 2018 4:47 PM
Hello Emi,
I have been dealing with problems regarding Excel instances recently. With version 1803 Excel switched to a behaviour in which new instances are nearly always created.
Especially opening a file with double-click from explorer led to a new instance. Drag & Drop did not lead to a new instance.
I found that /x was included in our Excel shortcut. However, in previous versions that was no problem and I find it not logical that starting the first instance with /x leads to new instances when more files are opened by double click.
Is it possible to check what happened and explain the behaviour?
Thanks and Regards
Michael
Thursday, January 2, 2020 4:10 PM
I have been experiencing a similar problem though the difference for me has occurred since we switched to W10/Office365 and SharePoint. Before we worked in W7, Office 2016 and with fileshares. I use power query a lot and found in the old environment, that provided they were open in separate instances, I could have source workbooks each open in its own separate instance to the workbook which was consolidating and processing data from them and the queries in the consolidating book would run. Moreover, I found I was able to make changes in those sources and once saved, those changes would be picked up by refreshing PQs in the consolidating workbook. Not any more. Even though I can still open what I believe are separate instances of Excel (Alt+Double Click method) when I have source workbooks open in those separate instances the consolidating workbook queries won't run and PQ tells me that the source book/s are in use. This is a real inconvenience and productivity killer having to keep opening and closing workbooks. What is going on? Am I doing something wrong. Is there another approach I could use? Should this be a fresh post?
androo2351